Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to give talks on a post-Brexit trade deal one more shot after speaking by phone on Sunday, a sign that they may be able to salvage an accord after days of pessimism. In a joint statement issued following their conversation, they said that “despite the ...

Bloomberg After four years on the outs in Washington, California is roaring back. The Golden State, a favourite target of President Donald Trump, is regaining its stature as a source of policy ideas and personnel under President-elect Joe Biden. He’s recruited prominent Californians for key jobs in his administration such as Senator Kamala Harris as his vice president and Attorney ...

Bloomberg Germany will enter a hard lockdown from Wednesday, with non-essential stores shuttered, employers urged to close workplaces and school children encouraged to remain at home. The tighter restrictions — including a ban on gatherings over the New Year — will last until at least January 10 as a looser shutdown failed to halt a surge in daily coronavirus infections ...

Bloomberg European Council President Charles Michel expects the first Covid vaccines to be approved in the European Union “in the coming weeks, maybe even before the end of the year,” he said in a France Inter radio interview. The EU has decided to follow its regulatory process and “not to play” with approval, Michel said. Michel said the UK used ...

Bloomberg DBS Group Holdings Ltd will set up a digital exchange for cryptocurrencies for firms and wealthy clients, while allowing fund raising via asset tokenisation on a platform run by the largest bank in Southeast Asia. The planned setup is in partnership with Singapore Exchange Ltd, which will hold 10% in the new bourse, the Singapore-based lender said in an ...

Bloomberg Barclays Plc is looking to reduce its real estate expenses in the UK, US and India as the shift to remote working adds fuel to its cost-cutting ambitions. The bank could announce changes early next year although the board has not taken a final decision on the extent and timing of any measures, people with knowledge of the matter ...

Bloomberg The US Treasury Department said it hasn’t identified any banks or other financial institutions linked to a group of people sanctioned in October over China’s crackdown on Hong Kong. The decision, announced in a report required by Congress, is likely to come as a relief to major banks that had sought to unwind any connection to those sanctioned for ...

Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc’s Black employees are paid about 20% less than their colleagues as British lenders struggle with their representation across senior positions. The median pay gap between Black employees and other peers was 19.7%, while the bonus gap was 37.6%, according to the bank’s April 2019-2020 report. “For our Black colleagues, the pay and bonus gap is ...

Bloomberg Brazil had its best year ever for equity sales, and Bank of America (BofA) Corp made the most of it. The Wall Street lender is this year’s top equity underwriter in the nation, handling 20.6 billion reais ($4 billion) and leapfrogging Banco Itau BBA and JPMorgan Chase & Co, which took the two top spots in 2019, data compiled ...

Bloomberg UK lenders would be forced to refund all victims of financial fraud if plans being proposed by an official watchdog are adopted, according to the Telegraph newspaper. The Payment Systems Regulator — an independent subsidiary of the Financial Conduct Authority — will lead a consultation due to begin within weeks on whether customers who are tricked into transferring money ...